Left Behind
by darkestboy
Summary: As the Doctor attempts to maintain a lower profile, those who he has left behind have their own thoughts on the matter. Set in between The Wedding Of River Song and The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe.


**Name: **Left Behind  
**Characters:** 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song, Dorium Maldovar, Madame Kovarian and the Silence.  
**Synopsis:** As the Doctor attempts to maintain a lower profile, those who he has left behind have their own thoughts on the matter. Set in between _The Wedding Of River Song_ and _The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe_.

_You failed, Madame Kovarian!_

Madame Kovarian realised she wasn't dreaming but instead she was back on Demon's Run and the Silence were standing there and if their faces could show precise emotions, she knew that they would be showing sheer disapproval. In that sense, Madame Kovarian was actually grateful that the Silence looked the way they did.

"I did not fail," Madame Kovarian answered sharply. "The deed is done. River Song killed the Doctor. That man is finally dead."

The Silence continued to stare as they began circling her. Madame Kovarian wondered if they were going to strike her dead. They tried to kill her in an aborted timeline and she scowled when she realised that Amy Pond had refused to save her. Then again, Kovarian imagined that if the roles had been reversed, she probably would've left Amy to perish and hell hath no fury than a grieving parent scorned.

"So, what now?" Kovarian looked at her bosses. "With the Doctor out of the way, there's no reason to fear the fields of Trenzalore. He is no longer an object to our goals."

"But he has allies, Madame Kovarian," one of the Silence spoke out. "And allies are as dangerous as the Doctor himself."

"I can send my Clerics to deal with the Ponds and their daughter if you're that nervous," Madame Kovarian smirked. "Though why you simply don't deal with them yourselves is a mystery. I think I've more than served you well."

"You are not done serving us," another of the Silence hissed in annoyance. "And as for the Doctor -,"

"- Even I'm growing tired of hearing that man's name." Kovarian went to pour herself a drink and turned her back on the Silence. "He is dead."

"You will make extra sure that he is, Madame Kovarian," a third member of the Silence hissed as he pointed one of his fingers at her. "Or you will perish yourself."

"You need me," Madame Kovarian snapped. "I am no good to you dead. Besides, we had a deal."

The Silence did not answer her. Instead, they promptly took their leave of the office that Madame Kovarian had been in and left the eye patch woman alone with her drink. Madame Kovarian finished the contents of her drink and then sat at her seat, looking at the witness statements she had stolen from River when the Clerics placed the woman in the spacesuit, ready to kill the Doctor.

Kovarian had to admit to herself that the Doctor's death hadn't felt real. This had been a man who had physically survived many battles in his various incarnations; including the greatest battle of them all – the Time War. Madame Kovarian then wondered if River really had been enough to finally finish him off. She must have done – otherwise she wouldn't be in Stormcage and Amy and Rory wouldn't be back on Earth, forced to live normal lives.

The Silence however didn't seem convinced though. They told her she failed but she thought that it was failure in an aborted timeline but now Kovarian wondered if they meant this timeline. She had a horrible feeling growing inside her. No-one actually saw the Doctor's death apart from his friends and they were the same ones who promptly burned his body. Then it dawned on her.

"He tricked us!" Kovarian slammed her fists on the desk as she rose from her chair. "The Doctor's still alive!"

Standing then before her were the Silence, looking at her with pure intrigue. At least that's what it looked like to Madame Kovarian.

"It appears you were right, I have failed you." Madame Kovarian sounded nervous. "But I can fix that. We still have the advantage, don't we? He'll never see us coming again."

The Silence turned to look to each other and Madame Kovarian knew that her fate was being decided. If the odds were against her, she'd never get past them in time but even if the odds were in her favour, she knew that she would only have some small advantages. It was in this moment, that she realised her own life, like the Doctor's was hanging by a thread. It was a realisation she didn't care for one bit.

Dorium Maldovar commended himself on a lot of things. He commended himself for the contacts he had made over the last couple of years, the deeds and occasional misdeeds he had done in order to get ahead in life and also, he commended himself for the fact that death could not deter his spirit. He knew he might not go down in legends or myths of great men but Dorium simply didn't care. He didn't need the validation of knowing his own excellence.

He had pressed the Doctor about a certain question as the man gallantly headed for his TARDIS, a question that they both knew must never be answered. A question that now had every possibility of being answered, due to events not playing out in the manner that they were intended to not play out.

"Do you really want to have that question answered?" Dorium broached the subject again as the Doctor hesitated from entering his machine.

"Are you scared of the answer, Dorium?" The Doctor turned from the door of his vessel and looked at the head in the small wooden box.

"Not half as scared as you should possibly be, Doctor," Dorium snapped, annoyed with the Time Lord's blithe answer. "If Madame Kovarian and the Silence even get the smallest hint that you didn't perish, then God help you."  
"There are no Gods," the Doctor said simply. "Not really. Not anymore."

"Don't be blithe, Doctor." Dorium looked annoyed now. "You know precisely what I mean. If they can take a child and fashion her into a weapon -,"

"- It didn't work. River failed." The Doctor's tone had an edge to it. "And they would be unwise to pull that kind of a stunt again."

"Beware your pride, Doctor," Dorium warned. "If they can resort to that kind of an extremity to keep you away from the fields of Trenzalore, there's nothing they won't attempt."

"What is it about those fields that you're not telling me, Dorium?" The Doctor turned from the man and began to open the door of the TARDIS. "I know you know more than you're letting on."

"And you'll also know that there's only so much you can know at any specific time, Doctor." Dorium kept his cool. "I doubt this is the last time we'll cross paths."

"No, it won't be." The Doctor was resigned. "Until the next time, Dorium."

Dorium watched as the Doctor got inside his TARDIS and materialised out of the Cave of Skulls. Once again, he was alone with no-one to talk to. Dorium at least knew he could take comfort in the fact that he had the Wi-Fi in his head to keep amused before the Doctor returned.

"Keep out of trouble, Doctor," Dorium mumbled as he closed his eyes and began to drift into his own thoughts. "Or else the Silence will come."

Amy Pond stood in her front garden with her husband as their daughter had finished her glass of wine and was now focusing on her teleport system. Both Amy and Rory knew exactly where River was heading towards.

"You don't have to go so soon, do you?" Rory asked as River gave him a knowing look.

"Sorry, father," River smiled. "Stormcage might be used to my frequent escapes but it doesn't mean they're always accepting of them. I've still got some explaining to do about the Byzantium to do."

"Don't be a stranger," Amy said softly as she hugged her daughter. Then Rory hugged River and River smiled back at them both.

"A stranger?" River said with an assurance both her parents had become accustomed to by now. "I don't think I can ever be the normal type."

"You know what I mean." Amy folded her arms. "You don't need a freak storm or the world going wibbly to visit your own parents from time to time. Just pop in every now and then, eh?"

"Yes, mother," River said softly as she looked at her parents. "Until next time."

Amy and Rory watched as River vanished before their eyes. It was nothing new and while they knew she was fine, both of them felt a pang as she left.

"What are the odds that our daughter has made at least one more little pit stop before she's gone back to her cell?" Rory put his arm around Amy's shoulder and kissed her forehead.

"Extremely high." Amy looked up at Rory and smiled. "I wonder he can do it though."

"Do what?" Rory knew immediately who Amy was referring to.

"Stay hidden in plain sight," Amy replied as she put her arm around Rory's waist. "Do all the usual stuff he used to but without making a name for himself."

"Knowing the Doctor, he'll certainly give it a good go," Rory said with absolute certainty. "You're worried we'll never see him again, aren't you?"

"Aren't you?" Amy looked at Rory and then towards the sky. "It's a big old universe."

"And if there's one thing we can rely on with the Doctor," Rory smiled. "He's not far behind. To answer your question, no I'm not worried. I'm sure we will see him again when the time is right."

"That would be a first," Amy smiled as she let out a tiny laugh. "Let's say we go inside ourselves and hide away for a bit."

"I thought you'd never ask," Rory said as he kissed Amy on the lips and walked back inside the house with his wife, closing the door behind them.

Rory knew that the universe was big and vast and wonderful and he also knew the Doctor. Rory didn't doubt for a moment that while him and Amy were left behind on Earth to get on with their lives, that the Doctor would return to them one day. Rory both looked forward to that day and was a little apprehensive about it as well.

_Be safe, Doctor!_

- The End -


End file.
